Zombie Shepherd
It's a short story I wrote for the time of Halloween. English is not my first language though, so I expect to have his flaws and misstakes.
Still I hope those who take a peek enjoy what they read. ^^
At the edge of a small forest, where the ground was covered with leaves of red and brown, the soil gave a dread sound. Building up to a pile the crumbling ground moved from below on top of the leaves and on its peak a frazzled figure rose from its grave.
The air filled with the sounds of a living corpse unearthing itself in the middle of the night. It's fur and skin hang in tatters, rotten flesh reflecting the full moons light. The black and brown colors of the long dead shepherd faintly visible anymore. He took a brief look on his hands.
It's that time of the year again. His face turned towards the lights of a village nearby. Along to a dreadful moan the standing figure began to walk.
At the streets, at every house, pumpkins wore scary faces, candles inside illuminating their visages. Every window in every house had candles and lanterns inside, and together they cast their light over every corner of the village. Children, woman and elders had gathered inside the security of their cellars. All others had taken axes, hammers, pitchforks and torches to their arm.
A young man fell to the ground while screaming in pain as a three-headed dog-like creature had set him aflame with a single burst of fire from one of his grimaces. Around the Cerberus only a dozen men remained. Walking on his hind legs like them, the beast towered three feet above them. The faces kept grinning wickedly, far wider than possible. From his skinny chest a trail of blood kept pouring downward where the boy had injured him. While the screaming of his victim had almost faded, the Cerberus rose on of his hind paws, crushing the burning skull beneath.
Several men in front of him cried out, charging the creature with outstretched weapons. But the beast, growling deeply, only bent down to cloak them in fire from each of his three gaping maws.
On the other side of the market place men stared in terror, watching one of their mates lifted in the air. The man twitched and struggled, an unseen force taking him even higher. More than five yards over the ground, his body stiffened, limbs pressing together. Turned upside down the body went crashing into the ground, blood, bones and brain scattering to all directions, covering some of the men nearby.
A broad, bearded hulk of a man let out a piercing shriek, pointing at the wall next to the butchery. Between the gleaming windows, a darkness strong enough to push the light away, slithered and turned around. The shade rose into the shape of an enormous snake. First as it wrapped itself around the shadow of another man, who cried out in vain, the rest of the men woke from their shock and ran away.
Dragging himself through the streets, the lifeless shepherd listened to the sound of crying humans, breaking bodies and dying lives. A giant spider had made its way into one of the basements, entangling all inside with its masterful webbing skills. When he turned around a corner towards the marketplace he took a last glimpse on a crying girl while the spider injected its acid into her chest.
Without any intend to attack the shepherd kept walking past any man, moving his arms only to deflect some of the incoming blows. Most of the time the men's weapons drove into his body though, but he didn't mind it. And the men would let go of him soon, troubled with more dangerous creatures.
When he walked past the town hall he saw the ground covered with burned corpses. In the middle of them lay a three-headed beast on its front side, a spear standing out of its back. Around the wound flesh and skin began to burn, fading into ash inch by inch.
Passing the last house, he met a man and a woman of young age. They were right in his way and starred into his eyeless face. He had stopped as well, remaining still very patiently.
The young man, holding the woman, gulped then and nodded at the shepherd. "Thank you", he said. The couple ran out of the town.
Above the shepherd a swooshing sound appeared, making his ears twitch. When the noise had reached him, he lifted his gaze to watch a black cloud made of leather wings rush over him. Seconds later two voice screeched into the night.
Out of the village, back into the woods, the shepherd made out a dim red light, forecasting the coming day. With him the sounds of horror had left the village, enveloping him with the calm of a full moon night. Having enjoyed his walk the zombie dog lay down, bedding himself with soil once more. Already he was looking forwards for the next year, evoking a single wag from his rotten tail.